People Are Living Longer But Are They Really Healthy?

People around the world are living longer, but unfortunately, it's both a blessing and a curse, for some. A recent study published in The Lancet shows that life expectancy has increased by over six years as of 1990. However, many people living up to the expectation--and even longer--are not faring too well.

The study was based on a comprehensive examination of major disease and injuries in 188 countries between the period of 1990 and 2013. Any improvements seen throughout this time may be attributed to critical improvements against a number of infectious diseases, ranging from malaria to HIV/AIDS. Other significant improvements have been seen regarding neonatal care and nutritional illness.

Yet with the good news comes the bad. The analysis also revealed that for many of those living longer, they would see increased risk of illness and disability, including heart disease, neck pain and road injuries, stroke and lower back pain.

"Global health is improving," Theo Vos, the lead study author from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, says in a statement. "Population growth and ageing have driven up numbers of DALYs, but crude rates have remained relatively constant, showing that progress in health does not mean fewer demands on health systems."

Researchers also say that some countries are doing better than others. More specifically, they found that countries including Cambodia and Nicaragua experienced a dramatic rise in healthy life expectancy at 13.9 to 14.7 years, respectively. However, some countries such as South Africa, Paraguay and Belarus actually saw a decline in healthy life expectancy.

Lesotho held the lowest healthy life expectancy while Japan held the highest. To find out more, click here. 

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